[Dailydrool] Oh, that Mariah!

[Val lbrewerzwick via Dailydrool]

I have watched clever Mariah trick the other two dogs when they have something she wants. She will run to the front of the house barking and both will drop everything and follow her.  Meanwhile, she circles back and lays claim to whatever she had coveted while the other two stand on the porch looking around, saying "What? Where? I don't see anything--do you? Huh?"

But today she pulled a similar trick on me.  It has been pouring rain outside all day.  All three dogs came in from the fenced yard soaking wet after a brief foray outside to take care of business.  All then  dried themselves as best they could on various scatter rugs in the living room and bedroom.  We are away for the weekend at a pet-friendly VRBO cottage up in the hills near the volcano where the weather is a coolish low 60's.  This  cabin has a wonderful fireplace, and BIll and I were sitting snug and warm on the comfy sofa in front of it reading novels.  We celebrate our anniversary this way each year.  Mariah walked through the living room, looked at us, then went into the adjacent kitchen and began noisily pulling items off the low shelves, dumping them on the floor, and making as if to chew them up.  I jumped up, ran to the kitchen, shooed Mariah out with a bark of my own, and then started picking up all the items and moving them onto the counters. Miss Mariah disappeared into the living room.  When I returned to the living room , Mariah was peacefully curled up on the sofa in my warm, vacated spot in front of the fireplace, snoring contentedly.  (BIll had not looked up from his book this whole time and was absently stroking Mariah's head).  That dog!  She really is quite clever.

Val